Performance of a hot-dry climate whole-house retrofit by Elizabeth Weitzel(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
255 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
The Stockton house retrofit is a two-story tudor style single family deep retrofit in the hot-dry climate of Stockton, CA.
The home is representative of a deep retrofit option of the scaled home energy upgrade packages offered to targeted neighborhoods
under the pilot Large-Scale Retrofit Program (LSRP) administered by the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI).
Deep retrofit packages expand on the standard package by adding HVAC, water heater and window upgrades to the ducting, attic
and floor insulation, domestic hot water insulation, envelope sealing, lighting and ventilation upgrades. Site energy savings
with the deep retrofit were 23% compared to the pre-retrofit case, and 15% higher than the savings estimated for the standard
retrofit package. Energy savings were largely a result of the water heater upgrade, and a combination of the envelope sealing,
insulation and HVAC upgrade. The HVAC system was of higher efficiency than the building code standard. Overall the financed
retrofit would have been more cost effective had a less expensive HVAC system been selected and barriers to wall insulation
remedied. The homeowner experienced improved comfort throughout the monitored period and was satisfied with the resulting
utility bill savings

Simplified space conditioning in low-load homes, results from the Fresno, California retrofit unoccupied test house by Dave Stecher(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
255 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
In this study, the Building America team, IBACOS, sought to determine cost-effective, energy-efficient solutions for heating
and cooling houses. To this end, the team performed field testing in a retrofit unoccupied test house in Fresno, California,
to evaluate three air-based heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) distribution systems during heating, cooling,
and midseason conditions. These included a typical airflow ducted system to the bedrooms, a low airflow ducted system to the
bedrooms, and a system with no ductwork to the bedrooms. The relative ability of each of the three systems was assessed with
respect to relevant Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and ASHRAE standards for house temperature uniformity and
stability, respectively. Computational fluid dynamics modeling also was performed and refined based on comparison to field
test results to determine the air flow rate into the bedrooms of over-door and bottom-of-door air transfer grilles

Performance results for Massachusetts and Rhode Island deep energy retrofit pilot community by C Gates(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
254 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Between December, 2009 and December, 2012, 42 deep energy retrofit (DER) projects were completed through a pilot program sponsored
by National Grid and conducted in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Thirty-seven of these projects were comprehensive retrofits
while five were partial DERs, meaning that high performance retrofit was implemented for a single major enclosure component
or a limited number of major enclosure components. Building Science Corporation developed a consistent "package" of measures
in terms of the performance targeted for major building components. Based on the community experience, this DER package is
expected to result in yearly source energy use near 110 MMBtu/year or approximately 40% below the Northeast regional average

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning design strategy for a hot-humid production builder by Philip Kerrigan(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
253 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
BSC worked directly with the David Weekley Homes - Houston division to redesign three floor plans in order to locate the HVAC
system in conditioned space. The purpose of this project is to develop a cost effective design for moving the HVAC system
into conditioned space. In addition, BSC conducted energy analysis to calculate the most economical strategy for increasing
the energy performance of future production houses. This is in preparation for the upcoming code changes in 2015. The builder
wishes to develop an upgrade package that will allow for a seamless transition to the new code mandate. The following research
questions were addressed by this research project: 1. What is the most cost effective, best performing and most easily replicable
method of locating ducts inside conditioned space for a hot-humid production home builder that constructs one and two story
single family detached residences? 2. What is a cost effective and practical method of achieving 50% source energy savings
vs. the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code for a hot-humid production builder? 3. How accurate are the pre-construction
whole house cost estimates compared to confirmed post construction actual cost? BSC and the builder developed a duct design
strategy that employs a system of dropped ceilings and attic coffers for moving the ductwork from the vented attic to conditioned
space. The furnace has been moved to either a mechanical closet in the conditioned living space or a coffered space in the
attic

Achieving Challenge Home in affordable housing in hot-humid climate by David Beal(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
253 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction (BA-PIRC), one of the Building America research team
leads, has partnered with two builders as they work through the Challenge Home certification process (now Zero Energy Ready
Home) in one test home each. The builder partners participating in this cost-shared research are Southeast Volusia County
Habitat for Humanity near Daytona, Florida and Manatee County Habitat for Humanity near Tampa, Florida. Both are affiliates
of Habitat for Humanity International, a non-profit affordable housing organization. This research serves to identify viable
technical pathways to meeting the CH criteria for other builders in the region. A further objective of this research is to
identify gaps and barriers in the marketplace related to product availability, labor force capability, code issues, cost effectiveness,
and business case issues that hinder or prevent broader adoption on a production scale

Insulated concrete form walls integrated with mechanical systems in a cold climate test house by D Mallay(
)2
editions published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
253 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Transitioning from standard light frame to a thermal mass wall system in a high performance home will require a higher level
of design integration with the mechanical systems. The much higher mass in the ICF wall influences heat transfer through the
wall and affects how the heating and cooling system responds to changing outdoor conditions. This is even more important for
efficient, low-load homes with efficient heat pump systems in colder climates where the heating and cooling peak loads are
significantly different from standard construction. This report analyzes a range of design features and component performance
estimates in an effort to select practical, cost-effective solutions for high performance homes in a cold climate

Energy evaluation of a new construction pilot community, Fresno California by Arlan Burdick(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
253 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
A new construction pilot community was constructed by builder-partner Wathen-Castanos Hybrid Homes (WCHH) based on a single
occupied test house that was designed to achieve greater than 30% energy savings with respect to the House Simulation Protocols
(Hendron, Robert; Engebrecht, Cheryn (2010). Building America House Simulation Protocols. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy
Laboratory). Builders face several key problems when implementing a whole-house systems integrated measures package (SIMP)
from a single test house into multiple houses. Although a technical solution already may have been evaluated and validated
in an individual test house, the potential exists for constructability failures at the community scale. This report addresses
factors of implementation and scalability at the community scale and proposes methodologies by which community-scale energy
evaluations can be performed based on results at the occupied test house level. Research focused on the builder and trade
implementation of a SIMP and the actual utility usage in the houses at the community scale of production. Five occupants participated
in this community-scale research by providing utility bills and information on occupancy and miscellaneous gas and electric
appliance use for their houses. IBACOS used these utility data and background information to analyze the actual energy performance
of the houses. Verification with measured data is an important component in predictive energy modeling. The actual utility
bill readings were compared to projected energy consumption using BEopt with actual weather and thermostat set points for
normalization

Performance verification of production-scalable energy-efficient solutions : Winchester/Camberly Homes mixed-humid climate by D Mallay(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
253 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Winchester/Camberley Homes with the Building America program and its NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership collaborated
to develop a new set of high performance home designs that could be applicable on a production scale. The new home designs
are to be constructed in the mixed humid climate zone four and could eventually apply to all of the builder's home designs
to meet or exceed future energy codes or performance-based programs. However, the builder recognized that the combination
of new wall framing designs and materials, higher levels of insulation in the wall cavity, and more detailed air sealing to
achieve lower infiltration rates changes the moisture characteristics of the wall system. In order to ensure long term durability
and repeatable successful implementation with few call-backs, this report demonstrates through measured data that the wall
system functions as a dynamic system, responding to changing interior and outdoor environmental conditions within recognized
limits of the materials that make up the wall system. A similar investigation was made with respect to the complete redesign
of the heating, cooling, air distribution, and ventilation systems intended to optimize the equipment size and configuration
to significantly improve efficiency while maintaining indoor comfort. Recognizing the need to demonstrate the benefits of
these efficiency features, the builder offered a new house model to serve as a test case to develop framing designs, evaluate
material selections and installation requirements, changes to work scopes and contractor learning curves, as well as to compare
theoretical performance characteristics with measured results

Internal roof and attic thermal radiation control retrofit strategies for cooling-dominated climates by ʻAlī Fallāḥī(
)1
edition published
in
2013
in
English
and held by
253 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
This project evaluates the cooling energy savings and cost effectiveness of radiation control retrofit strategies for residential
attics in U.S. cooling-dominated climates. Usually, in residential applications, radiation control retrofit strategies are
applied below the roof deck or on top of the attic floor insulation. They offer an alternative option to the addition of conventional
bulk insulation such as fiberglass or cellulose insulation. Radiation control is a potentially low-cost energy efficiency
retrofit strategy that does not require significant changes to existing homes. In this project, two groups of low-cost radiation
control strategies were evaluated for southern U.S. applications. One uses a radiant barrier composed of two aluminum foils
combined with an enclosed reflective air space and the second uses spray-applied interior radiation control coatings (IRCC)

Better duct systems for home heating and cooling(
)1
edition published
in
2004
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Duct systems used in forced-air space-conditioning systems are a vital element in home energy efficiency. How well a system
works makes a big difference in the cost and the effectiveness of heating and cooling a home. At the same time, a duct system
that is poorly designed or maintained can have a detrimental effect on the health of the people who live in the house, through
the unintended distribution of indoor air pollution

Occupant-in-place energy efficiency retrofit in a group home for 30% energy savings in climate zone 4 by Mike Moore(
)1
edition published
in
2013
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Energy efficiency retrofits (EERs) face many challenges on the path to scalability. Limited budgets, cost effectiveness, risk
factors, and accessibility impact the type and the extent of measures that can be implemented feasibly to achieve energy savings
goals. Group home retrofits can face additional challenges than those in single family homes - such as reduced access (occupant-in-place
restrictions) and lack of incentives for occupant behavioral change. This project studies the specification, implementation,
and energy savings from an EER in a group home, with an energy savings goal of 30%. This short term test report chronicles
the retrofit measures specified, their projected cost effectiveness using building energy simulations, and the short term
test results that were used to characterize pre-retrofit and post-retrofit conditions. Additionally, the final report for
the project will include analysis of pre- and post-retrofit performance data on whole building energy use, and an assessment
of the energy impact of occupant interface with the building (i.e., window operation). Ultimately, the study's results will
be used to identify cost-effective EER measures that can be implemented in group homes, given constraints that are characteristic
of these buildings. Results will also point towards opportunities for future energy savings

Air leakage and air transfer between garage and living space by Armin Rudd(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
This research project focused on evaluation of air transfer between the garage and living space in a single-family detached
home constructed by a production homebuilder in compliance with the 2009 International Residential Code and the 2009 International
Energy Conservation Code. The project gathered important information about the performance of whole-building ventilation systems
and garage ventilation systems as they relate to minimizing flow of contaminated air from garage to living space. A series
of 25 multi-point fan pressurization tests and additional zone pressure diagnostic testing characterized the garage and house
air leakage, the garage-to-house air leakage, and garage and house pressure relationships to each other and to outdoors using
automated fan pressurization and pressure monitoring techniques

Cladding attachment over thick exterior insulating sheathing by Peter Baker(
)1
edition published
in
2014
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
The addition of insulation to the exterior of buildings is an effective means of increasing the thermal resistance of both
wood framed walls as well as mass masonry wall assemblies. For thick layers of exterior insulation (levels greater than 1.5
inches), the use of wood furring strips attached through the insulation back to the structure has been used by many contractors
and designers as a means to provide a convenient cladding attachment location (Straube and Smegal 2009, Pettit 2009, Joyce
2009, Ueno 2010). The research presented in this report is intended to help develop a better understanding of the system mechanics
involved and the potential for environmental exposure induced movement between the furring strip and the framing. BSC sought
to address the following research questions: 1. What are the relative roles of the mechanisms and the magnitudes of the force
that influence the vertical displacement resistance of the system? 2. Can the capacity at a specified deflection be reliably
calculated using mechanics based equations? 3. What are the impacts of environmental exposure on the vertical displacement
of furring strips attached directly through insulation back to a wood structure?

Measured whole-house performance of TaC Studios test home by T Butler(
)1
edition published
in
2013
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
As part of the NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Southface partnered with TaC Studios, an Atlanta-based architecture
firm specializing in residential and light commercial design, on the construction of a new test home in Atlanta, GA in the
mixed humid climate. This home serves as a residence and home office for the firm's owners, as well as a demonstration of
their design approach to potential and current clients. Southface believes the home demonstrates current best practices for
the mixed-humid climate, including a building envelope featuring advanced air sealing details and low density spray foam insulation,
glazing that exceeds ENERGY STAR requirements, and a high performance heating and cooling system. Construction quality and
execution was a high priority for TaC Studios and was ensured by a third party review process. Post-construction testing showed
that the project met stated goals for envelope performance, an air infiltration rate of 2.15 ACH50. The homeowners wished
to further validate whole house energy savings through the project's involvement with Building America and this long-term
monitoring effort. As a Building America test home, this home was evaluated to detail whole house energy use, end use loads,
and the efficiency and operation of the ground source heat pump and associated systems

Evaluation of CNT Energy savers retrofit packages implemented in multifamily buildings by Jenne Farley(
)1
edition published
in
2013
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
This evaluation explored the feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily
buildings in order to achieve 25%-30% source energy savings through the study of three case studies. There is an urgent need
to scale up energy efficiency retrofitting of Chicago's multifamily buildings in order to address rising energy costs and
a rapidly depleting rental stock. Aimed at retrofit program administrators and building science professionals, this research
project investigates the possibility of using prescriptive retrofit packages as a time- and resource-effective approach to
the process of retrofitting multifamily buildings

Validation of a hot water distribution model using laboratory and field data by C Backman(
)1
edition published
in
2013
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
Characterizing the performance of hot water distribution systems is a critical step in developing best practice guidelines
for the design and installation of high performance hot water systems. Developing and validating simulation models is critical
to this effort, as well as collecting accurate input data to drive the models. In this project, the Building America research
team ARBI validated the newly developed TRNSYS Type 604 pipe model against both detailed laboratory and field distribution
system performance data. Validation efforts indicate that the model performs very well in handling different pipe materials,
insulation cases, and varying hot water load conditions. Limitations of the model include the complexity of setting up the
input file and long simulation run times. This project also looked at recent field hot water studies to better understand
use patterns and potential behavioral changes as homeowners convert from conventional storage water heaters to gas tankless
units. The team concluded that the current Energy Factor test procedure overestimates typical use and underestimates the number
of hot water draws, which has implications for both equipment and distribution system performance. Gas tankless water heaters
were found to impact how people use hot water, but the data does not necessarily suggest an increase in usage. Further study
in hot water usage and patterns is needed to better define these characteristics in different climates and home vintages

Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program : high performance manufactured home prototyping and construction
development by Tom Hewes(
)1
edition published
in
2013
in
English
and held by
252 WorldCat member
libraries
worldwide
The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and Northwest
Energy Works (NEW), the current Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program (NEEM) administrator, have been collaborating
to conduct research on new specifications that would improve on the energy requirements of a NEEM home. In its role as administrator,
NEW administers the technical specs, performs research and engineering analysis, implements ongoing construction quality management
procedures, and maintains a central database with home tracking. This project prototyped and assessed the performances of
cost-effective high performance building assemblies and mechanical systems that are not commonly deployed in the manufacturing
setting. The package of measures is able to reduce energy used for space conditioning, water heating and lighting by 50 percent
over typical manufactured homes produced in the northwest